Bosnian Bichaq

[gp]

Originally Posted by Battara

GP, this is fantastic! More info than we ever had on this type of knife. I have always wondered on these. Thank so much for your contributions here!

The only thing I could add is that usually one wears green in public like this if one were Muslim and has been on the Hajj. Do you think this would this apply to green hilts on these knives as well?

Not only green is the colour of the religion involved but according to their haddiths : white, red, green, black and yellow.

Although for the hajj often the colour green is indeed used, I would not think it to be applicable for a couple of reasons:

1.Bosnia had next to the standard Sunni community quite a lot of Sufi's like the Naqshbandi, Mevlani and some Bektashi who would not be involded in a hajj that much.
2. Pilgrims who had been on a hajj in the 19th century had to have financial resources and would prefferably go for silver and golden or at least plated ones or with gold plated inscriptions.
3. last but not least these knives, daggers, bichaqs and kamas were made for "foreigners" and thus mostly "unbelievers" and after 1882.

So I would presume it to be a simple variance to the white bone ones which are typical Bosnian. Perhaps for a commercial reason ?

These greens ones are not that rare or sought after and do not fetch that fancy or higher prices and are not a high priority on the collector's list of that region. I have not seen green ones outside this type

People would trade easily 3 green ones for a Mostar one...
R U watching Detlef..?
By the way: I only have white bone ones and will soon add pics here and am not looking out for a green one